THE National Democratic Congress says the apology to President Edgar Lungu by its former leader Chishimba Kambwili is not genuine and is a betrayal to the party and its membership.

In a statement yesterday, NDC spokesperson Franklin Membe said Kambwili’s apology to President Lungu, Valden Findlay and to the public on Thursday has not come as a shock to NDC and its interim president Josephs Akafumba.

He said the apology is a selfish strategy to betray NDC members for selfish motives.

“It brings to light what we have been saying all along that CK has not been truthful to the entire party and especially the top leadership comprising the NEC. NEC recently gave him a vote of no confidence after he openly and clearly rejected the decision of the Central Committee and the demands of the people of Zambia,” he said. “Zambians throughout the country demanded the opposition form an alliance to remove the oppressive PF hearse which is headed to bury Zambia with its citizens. The NEC saw way back that Dr Chishimba Kambwili had started to go on a course of betraying the people of Zambia. For a long time now, CK had been reluctant to conclude the alliance deal.”

Membe said Kambwili failed to justify his hate for the alliance, but that even with the suspicion the party gave him a benefit of doubt.

He said Kambwili alone was responsible for the delay of the signing of the electoral pact from January 2020 to February 2021.

“With less than two months before nominations, CK throws the Alliance into panic. The alliance had to cancel plans to register a neutral name for the alliance. With clear understanding that Hon [Stephen] Kampyongo’s home affairs ministry would put up barricades in the registration of a new Alliance name, we were left with no alternative but to unanimously elect to use UPND party as an alliance name,” Membe said. “Kambwili put up a very highly professional NEC team whom he could have consulted on the issue of his posterity with regard to his numerous court cases, convictions and PF demands that he joins them. His pride in believing that he knows everything kept him away from wise counsel. NEC knew way back that CK’s rejection of the alliance was not based on principle but on betraying members of the party.”

Membe said Kambwili’s fear of jail makes him a joker in the African political arena.

“Serious leaders ought to be prepared to go to jail, placing the nation above self. Right thinking NDC members are naturally a wounded lot. We have wasted three years of our precious time and resources with a leader whose mouth was far from his heart,” Mmembe said. “He betrayed not only his conscience but all members of NDC and the country at large. CK lied to all of us that he hates PF police brutality and yet he is embracing it. He lied to the world that he hated corruption and yet in his heart he loves it. He promised to raise the standard of living of Zambians but in his heart he is something else.”

He said in reality Kambwili is strengthening the hands of the wicked for selfish reasons.

“All those members who are full of insults and full of confusion have remained with him hurling insults on all of us, displaying their professional insulting skills against their opponent,” Membe said.

Membe said the fracas in NDC has separated those who follow Kambwili from those focused on carrying out the wish of the majority of Zambians “to dislodge the murderous, corrupt and reckless Unpatriotic front government”.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here